Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale Born: 1 March 1969 Occupation: *Dancer Family: As a teenager, Ian experiences conflict with his father Pete over his desire to become a caterer. He begins several business ventures, becoming the owner of a local café soon after graduating from catering college. Ian becomes engaged to Cindy Williams in 1989, however a one-night-stand with her former lover Simon Wicks leaves her pregnant. Cindy marries Ian and pretends that her son, Steven, is his, resulting in Ian attempting suicide upon learning the truth. He recovers and causes Simon to have a vehicular accident in revenge, prompting Simon, Cindy and Steven to leave Walford together. Ian immerses himself in his catering business, though his exploitative working practices alienate his friends, employees and family. He and Cindy later reconcile, and Ian is overjoyed to become a father to twins, Peter and Lucy. After opening a fish and chip shop, Ian becomes so obsessed with building his business empire that he neglects Cindy, who decides to leave him for his half brother David. Ian wins custody of their children, and makes Cindy so miserable that she hires a hit man to kill him. Ian is shot, but is only clipped by the bullet and recovers. Cindy flees the country with Steven and Peter, and spends a year in Italy before Ian traces them and retrieves the boys. Cindy returns to Walford and wins back custody of the children, but is implicated in Ian's shooting. She is jailed on remand and dies several months later in prison. Ian's next serious romance is with Mel Healy, manager of his bric-a-brac shop. Mel proposes to Ian, but later cheats on him with Steve Owen. Suspecting that she is planning to leave him, Ian manipulates Mel by falsely claiming that Lucy is dying from lymphoma. They marry on New Year's Eve 1999, but Mel leaves Ian during their wedding reception after discovering that Lucy is fine. Ian then pursues a new business venture: development of high-market flats. He begins a casual relationship with his nanny, Laura Dunn, but only commits to her after being declared bankrupt. Laura buys back the fish and chip shop and, despite fearing that Ian is only interested an inheritance she has received, they marry in May 2001. Their marriage deteriorates when Ian attempts to kiss Mel. He refuses to have a child with Laura, who frequently belittles him. Steven learns that Ian has been visiting local prostitute Janine Butcher, and tells Laura, before moving to New Zealand to live with Simon. Laura forgives Ian on the condition that they have a baby. Although he agrees, Ian has a secret vasectomy and throws Laura out when she becomes pregnant later that year, conning her into signing over control of their businesses. Laura's son Bobby requires a blood transfusion shortly after his birth, leading Laura to realise that Ian must be his father, as her lover Garry Hobbs is not a match. Laura dies in 2004, breaking her neck after falling down the stairs. Ian takes custody of Bobby, and later also takes in his half brother Ben, following the death of their mother. Ian fights Ben's father Phil Mitchell for custody, worsening their long-standing enmity which stems from Phil's disastrous marriage to Ian's mother Kathy. Ian meets a new romantic interest, Jane Collins, in 2004. He helps her to come to terms with the death of her husband David Collins from Huntington's disease, and although their relationship is severely tested when Jane has a brief affair with Phil's brother Grant Mitchell, they marry in July 2007. Steven returns to Walford and stalks Ian, escalating to holding him hostage for several weeks. He accidentally shoots Jane during an altercation, which results in her needing a hysterectomy. Ian is able to forgive Steven, but banishes him from his life when he later helps Lucy to run away. Ian and Jane temporarily separate over Ian's reluctance to adopt a child. When Lucy becomes pregnant, Jane offers to raise the baby as her own. Ian agrees, but secretly assists Lucy in having an abortion, lying to Jane that she miscarried. Jane later learns the truth, and decides to steal Ian's money and leave him. Ian arranges for her to adopt Bobby, and is devastated to discover Jane's plans. Although she decides to remain with him, Ian begins an affair with Glenda Mitchell. He decides to end it for his family's sake but accidentally reveals the affair to Peter. Peter does not tell Jane, but leaves Walford to stay with Lucy, who has already decided to live with her aunt in Devon, disgusted at his father's behaviour. Phil blackmails Ian over his affair with Glenda but when Ian brings Phil the money, he walks in on Phil having a heart attack while with Glenda who calls an ambulance, but Ian takes revenge by sending the paramedics away, hoping that Phil will die. However, when he hears Ben asking where Phil is, he changes his mind and calls an ambulance for Phil. When Glenda reveals her affair with Phil, Ian worries that she will also reveals her affair with Ian to Jane. Ian asks Jane to renew their wedding vows, which she accepts. Glenda attempts to blackmail Ian but he gives her less than she wants. He then tells Jane about the affair and she is heartbroken. He proposes that they renew their wedding vows, but Jane says she is leaving him as she is no longer in love with him. Ian sees her kissing a man named Martin so he hires an escort, Jeanette, saying she is his new girlfriend who he knew from his school days. However, Jane finds out the truth. She tells Ian she regrets ever meeting him, and Ian calls her a prostitute disguised as a wife, so she vows to take everything from him in their divorce. However, she decides against taking the house as it is Bobby's home, and instead gets the café. Afterwards, Ian reveals Jane's affair with Masood Ahmed affair to his wife Zainab Masood. Jane leaves for Bobby's sake, as he is witnessing arguments, and Ian refuses to give up the café, but eventually realises that he has to. Denise Fox starts helping Ian out with Bobby, and they become good friends, but people start to think there is something going on between them. Ian tells Denise that he sees her as nothing more than a friend and that he is not attracted to her. However, when Denise helps organise a birthday party for Bobby, Ian misreads her signals and tries to kiss her, but she leans away. He later tries to get Bobby into a play group, and asks Cheryl Matthews to find him a place. She assumes that Jane has died, so Ian goes along with it and she takes pity and finds Bobby a place. They later meet again and Ian buys an urn and fills it with cigarette ash, introducing it to Cheryl as "Jane". He also meets women called Fiona Walker and Rebecca, allowing them to believe that Jane is dead. He tells Alfie Moon that Jane's death is the best thing that happened to him, which is overheard by Shenice Quinn, who tells Bobby that Jane is dead. Bobby is upset so Ian tells him she is still alive and calls her to prove it. When Ian realises he has feelings for Rebecca, he tells her the truth, but she rejects him, whilst the lie also ruins Ian's relationship with Bobby, who ignores him. Feeling dejected, Ian agrees to join Tyler Moon and his brother Anthony in visiting a strip club, but Anthony is refused entry and they are forced to return home. Later, Ian returns to the strip club alone but, as he enters, he notices a man threatening a blonde woman nearby. He is stunned when she calls out to him and he realises it is former Walford resident Mandy Salter. Mandy comes to live with Ian, but when he hears that Peter and Lucy have been involved in a car crash, he takes Bobby to see them and tells Mandy to stay at a B&B, but she steals his house keys. Ian is angry when he returns to discover that Mandy has been staying there, but soon relents and they begin a relationship, though Alfie and his wife Kat Moon suspect she is only with Ian for his money. After Ian's divorce from Jane is finalised, he proposes to Mandy; she initially rejects him but then accepts after he purchases her a wedding ring. Jane returns to Walford after Bobby sneaks out to visit her. She is shocked to discover Ian is engaged to Mandy. On the day of the wedding, Mandy fails to go at the registry office on time, and just as Ian is about to leave, she turns up in her dress, they then get married and go home. Category:Tristram knight